Trauma can hurt first responders, expert says at Lorain County Community College

Repeated exposure to harm and violence can hurt the mental health of workers whose job is to help the victims, said one expert who has studied the long-term effects.

About 100 local workers gathered Dec. 16 to hear Francoise Mathieu, psychotherapist and co-executive director of Tend. The Canadian organization studies and seeks to alleviate trauma and stress among workers who are first-responders to society’s problems.

The crowd at Lorain County Community College included police officers, firefighters, emergency medics, social workers and counselors.

Mathieu delivered a warning to them. As they repeatedly deal with traumatic events, such as acts of violence, child abuse and medical emergencies, their own mental health may be at risk.

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“Compassion fatigue is basically helper and caregiver burnout,” she said.

Professionals who help others can face an erosion of their own ability to have empathy for others because of the work they do, Mathieu said.

The lack of empathy usually involves the people who the first responders serve, but may affect themselves, each other and their loved ones, she said.

Firefighters, social workers, police, nurses often feel they must toughen up to continue dealing with situations on the job, Mathieu said.

Violent incidents, abuse and other bad things cause ripple effects in the communities where they happen, she said.

In the long term, they also cause problems for people who have to keep dealing with them.

She cited a number of examples, up to Dr. John Bradford. He was an internationally known forensic psychiatrist who suffered post traumatic stress disorder from dealing with Russell Williams, a colonel in the Canadian Air Force who led a double life as a rapist and killer.

“I think that developing compassion fatigue is a normal consequence of doing a good job,” Mathieu said. “You don’t get it because you messed up; you get it because you’re exposed to repeated challenges, trauma, difficult stories.

“The important part is catching it early and getting the training you need to work with the most challenging folks, like the ones who never get better, the ones who keep on relapsing. We need help with chronic cases.”

A trauma specialist for more than 20 years, Mathieu said she worked with the military, law enforcement and crisis responders.

About 15 years ago, Mathieu said she began noticing some clients were not treated well by professionals such as nurses and police officers. Those workers likely started out with compassion for others, Mathieu said, but she began investigating why they changed.

Mathieu did not visit Lorain County in response to a specific incident.

Previously, she spoke at Akron Children’s Hospital and a person there worked with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to have her speak in Lorain County.

Mathieu’s appearance was paid for with a grant from the Nord Family Foundation, said Charlie Neff, executive director of the Lorain County Board of Mental Health.